Critique Part II ("The Art of Critique")

The essence of critique is collaboration. It is a collaborative activity, and it starts with the work which the artist has produced. The artist must tell us what he or she is telling us: what was the inspiration for the painting? Only when critique knows this can the group bring to bear the tools which we'll be discussing in Part 3. Sometimes the artist may be unaware of the source of inspiration. The artist 'just likes' the image. In that case, there will have to be some probing. What about the image do you like? Possibly the image is meant to portray a feeling, and perhaps the feeling is one of loss, or of chaos. Eventually the critique process will lead to a central question: What is the focal point (or what is the center of interest in the rectangle, or more generally what is the area of impact)? If the artist doesn't know what the focal point is, the game is over.

Perhaps critique can ferret out a center of interest, and thereby help the artist to understand how he can make his painting stronger, but there will be a lot of time wasted because the artist has not understood from the beginning what he is trying to do. Critique cannot create, though it may--with enough time and patience--reveal.

Remember, this is collaboration. The artist has to tell the critique group what he has attempted to portray. Consider a bouquet of flowers. It's possible that what has been sought is the ugliness of the flowers, or the homeliness of the arrangement; but more likely it will be the loveliness of a single blossom, or of a group of colors in the arrangement. Whatever it is, it must be known by the artist; the objective must be clear before he begins to paint, and clear in his thinking when he finishes, so that he can tell the collaborative group, and a meaningful critique can begin.

Often the inspiration will come from a photograph. Bringing the reference photograph to the critique event, however, will probably not be helpful. If the artist proudly says, "I painted exactly what was in the photo," critique has nothing to offer, except to say that the camera did a nice job. It is hard to help the camera. However, if the artist says, "I saw this picture, and I wanted to capture in my painting the feeling of loneliness or triumph or love that I experienced when I saw the photo," critique can be employed. Now there is a subject, the center of which can be reached at some location in the rectangle, and all the tools of critique can now be considered in pursuit of that moment of inspiration.

Critique tells us, if there are two elements of inspiration, there should be two paintings. Critique will insist that we should avoid a divided center of interest. But without the artist's telling the group what he is attempting, no amount of critique will suffice.So, knowing what he wants to say on the canvas or paper is the obligation of the artist. What are the obligations of the critique group? First must be the collaborative attitude. That is, critique must bring to bear on the artist's creation a spirit of mutual understanding and helpfulness based on artistic principals and the rich history of artists that have gone before. Above all, there must be the understanding that it's about the work of art, not about those making critique, and not about the artist. Ego has no place in the critique process.

Each of the participants in critique must remember: "It's not about you." Also, there has to be a spirit of kindness reflected in this wise observation: "People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But, people will NEVER forget how you made them feel." For those who are old enough to remember Bambi's friend, Thumper, consider this quick course in Thumpering: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

As a general approach, keep the focus on the painting: "I like the way the center of interest is placed away from the center of the quadrangle. The eye is then led to it with value and color. Now what would happen if, instead of making every object stand out with hard edges, suppose hard edges were saved for the center of interest, and soft edges elsewhere were to give the eye a passage through the painting to the inspirational focal point, rather than being stopped at every edge?"

Above all, critique will be successful if the artist whose work is being critiqued goes away with even just one new idea, a fresh direction to take the painting being critiqued, or the next one. The artist must feel empowered by the collaborative discussion. He must feel that he has participated in the deconstruction of his work, and that he has thereby a better understanding of his work and of the world of art. Critique should deliver on the promise of Brushstrokes' mission, and everyone who participated in the critique should leave feeling that he can bring to bear on every piece of art a new appreciation of the struggle that went into making it.